Digimon Tamers
by OhPlz
Summary: An off-shoot starting from the episode "Divided They Stand." Renamon becomes entangled with a powerful digimon that forces her to realize what it means to have a Tamer. RenamonXImpmon through out.


Author's Notes: This is a what-if fic sorta for Digimon Tamers that is centered on a Renamon/Impmon pairing. I pretty much warp the episode "Divided They Stand" so that the battle with Harpymon never happens and Ruki and Renamon reconcile another way, but otherwise this is after that episode. I use mostly names/terms from the Japanese episodes but I'm sure I screw up in places... also I write as if this is an actual episode, so yah. No fancy poetry or song-fics. I seldom see any good fics for Renamon/Impmon that don't get all OOC. If you have run across any good ones, please let me know in the reviews cos I'd like to read them! KTHX ENJOY R&R!!

Digimon Tamers

Chapter 1

To Fight Without a Tamer

Impmon swung himself onto the landing of an apartment building in Shinjuku. He knew Terriermon and the boy were somewhere in this building. He darted from window to window faster than any stupid human could see. But it wasn't a human who was watching him.

"Looking for something," Renamon called from the balcony above him.

"What!" Impmon glanced up and leapt back before realizing he was still two stories up. He screamed at the air underneath him and scrambled back onto the railing, "What do you want, fox?!" He shook his fist at her while his heart still pounded from the near drop.

Renamon slipped down beside him, "Are you looking for Terriermon?"

"No," Impmon cut in; "I'm not looking for anything." He stood back up as gracefully and indignantly as he could muster and jumped away into the moonlit night. Renamon followed. Impmon was flattered, but compensated for the warm feeling with a cold glare.

"Now what?" Impmon was on a rooftop, a few blocks away where more traditional housing still remained. Renamon glided by and landed with a soft pat of her feet in front of Impmon.

"I've been thinking about what you said. I agree with you," she stared calmly down at him. He was genuinely confused.

"What are you talking about? Said what? Agree with what?" He looked at her like she was nuts and gestured widely with red gloved hands.

"You said that digimon did not need a partner to become stronger. That the power is inside ourselves," her voice remained calm as if he questioned her respectfully. She understood his attitude was not personal.

"Sorry to break it to you, but it don't matter if you agree with the truth. But it's nice to see you finally accept it. So what do you want me to do about it?" He folded his arms and turned away, hiding his satisfied grin. She actually listened to him. Someone actually listened to him.

"Can I ask you another question?" Renamon stepped next to him. They faced Shinjuku Park. The night was clear and quiet. It wasn't quite as humid as usual, and a cool breeze made the atmosphere pleasant. Impmon didn't answer, so Renamon took it as a yes.

"How many digimon have you loaded since you crossed over?" She turned her head towards him to find his expression of an annoyed grimace.

He shouted abruptly, "I thought you were going to ask me something important. Stop wasting my time!" Impmon waved his arm and dismissed himself.

Renamon didn't move, and Impmon didn't walk far. He expected her to stop him so he could argue some more, but she didn't. It made him angry. He spun around on his heel, "well how many digimon have you loaded? Could you do it without the help of your little human?" He spat.

She still faced the park, but turned her head at his outburst in surprise, "I… don't know. I have not tried. This world is different."

"You bet your tail it's different. I bet you'd fall on your fat face," Impmon taunted. Renamon smiled subtly.

"I doubt you could-" she was interrupted by a boom accompanied by a gust of air. The two digimon looked out towards the park to see a digital field spreading among the trees. Renamon looked back at Impmon.

"I suppose this is our chance to find out. Would you like to fight this one together?" She asked. Impmon was stunned. She turned towards the park and vanished.

"Hey wait!" He shouted, and tripped off the side of the roof.

--

Ruki's digivice lit up and at the same time she woke with a start, "Renamon!" She called automatically. Ruki noticed the digivice and frowned, falling back to her pillow. She wasn't going to deal with this anymore. Digimon only wanted her to help them evolve, and that's all they care about. She wasn't going to be used. She turned over and hid under the blankets.

--

Renamon stepped into the field and looked around. Impmon ran in after her panting, and rested with his hands on his knees.

"I don't see anything," Renamon said, looking around. The area was over the baseball field. It was completely open with no where to hide. Renamon could feel a digimon, but she couldn't see it, even with her keen eyes. Impmon stood erect and matched her bewilderment.

"Maybe it hasn't come through yet," Impmon walked further in. Renamon waited. She thought she heard something and perked her ears. Straining, it sounded like giggling.

"Impmon," she said. He looked over his shoulder, now a few yards away.

"Impmon what?!" he replied. Suddenly Renamon appeared much shorter. Or, he was taller…

Impmon looked down. He was two feet off the ground with nothing in between. Impmon cried out and flailed until he dropped with a thud. Several peals of garbled laughter reverberated across the field. It sounded like a whole audience was there with them; a zombified laugh track. Impmon was terrified, but he couldn't let the fox know. He was up on his feet in a flash and back beside Renamon, his pride in independence momentarily forgotten. Renamon narrowed her eyes at the air in front of them.

One by one they appeared until there were at least twenty and counting. They gathered close together with white frocks swaying and large jaws chewing non-existent cud.

"Bakemon," Renamon drew back as the ghosts' numbers increased until they covered all the bases, their giggling and chortling and laughing grating on Renamon and Impmon's nerves.

"I don't know if we can handle them all. We need a strategy," Renamon began, but Impmon couldn't take the noise. He jumped out at them with two fireballs on his fingertips.

"STOP LAUGHING!" He roared and fired the flames into the crowd. The ghosts fled in all directions, squealing in delight and fear. Impmon landed in the opening he created and fired another red flame at them, sending a cascade of Bakemon around the field. Renamon was in their path. She jumped high with wide eyes, barely avoiding them as they crashed on the ground beneath her.

"Kyousetsu!" She shouted. Shards of bright crystal leaves burst from the air in front of her and stabbed into the wave of digimon, destroying three of them. Renamon absorbed their data as she came down on top of another and beat it in the face with her fist. It exploded into a mist of pixels. They were surprisingly easy to destroy, but there were so many. She leapt back to get a better view.

Impmon bounced on top of them throwing spheres of fire, but they always managed to dodge them in time. Frustrated, he lost his balance and fell into the chattering mass. Renamon was up on the batting cage when she saw him go down. She jumped in after him, kicking and whirling at the Bakemon with all her limbs.

"Zombie claw," she heard a rusty cry and turned to see a red hand bearing down on her. It slashed across her back and flung her into another Bakemon, whose shark teeth clamped down on her left leg. Renamon thrashed around but the twisting made it even more painful, and another Bakemon suddenly had her right fist in his jaws. Their laughter grew in mirth and excitement, closing in on the struggling digimon until another voice pierced through the sea.

"Petit Twister," Terriermon tore through the Bakemon, sending them flying and shattering into data. It cleared a path to Renamon. Jenrya removed his sunglasses and called to Terriermon, "who are they attacking?"

Terriermon landed in front of Jenrya, "I think its Renamon!"

The startled Bakemon loosened their grip enough for her to rip herself free and slam her good leg across their heads. They tossed backward but were about to thrust towards her again when they burst into data. Renamon gasped to see Impmon on the other side, down on one knee with his hands smoking. He absorbed the data without moving but Renamon knew Impmon was about to collapse. Three lacerations adorned his face, and another three showed across his belly.

"Impmon, too?" Jenrya blinked in disbelief.

"Stop gawking before they regroup!" Terriermon yelled.

"Right," Jenrya shook himself and pulled out a card, "Card Slash! Hyperspeed Plug in S!" He ran the card through the D-Arc and Terriermon glowed.

"Outta the way!" Terriermon said, zooming by Renamon and Impmon into the Bakemon coming upon them. Before he hit he wrapped his ears tightly around himself until he was a ball, crashing into the ghosts like they were pins in a game of bowling. Impmon took the opportunity the shoot another fireball into one that landed next to him, stealing it's data. Before he could do it again, Renamon grabbed him and darted back on the batting cage.

"Let go of me," he screamed at her. She held his arms tight.

"It's not worth it," she said, "you're in no shape to attack them."

"I make that call so butt out!" He kicked out of her grasp and ran back into the fray. By this time Takato and Guilmon arrived, and without any hesitation a fireball took out the majority of the remaining Bakemon.

"Hey I was here first," Impmon yelled at Guilmon. Confused, the red dinosaur hesitated long enough for another ghost to ram into his side.

"Guilmon," Takato shouted, stopping himself from running towards his friend. There were only four Bakemon left, but one seemed to be avoiding the fight. It mulled over the by the misty edge of the digital field, and only Renamon noticed. She cocked her head and kept her eye on it.

Guilmon tumbled with the ghost for a bit before it disappeared between his claws. Now even more confused, Guilmon turned to Takato for help but Takato was just as confused as he was. Jenrya and Terriermon were staring at Impmon, who threw flames continuously at two Bakemon who were no longer laughing but floating off for their lives. He laughed and hit them twice in the back until their data was his. Suddenly the spook that was on Guilmon reappeared in front of Impmon.

"Poison Breath," it said hoarsely, sending a gust of acrid wind into his face. Impmon grabbed his throat and fell down, turning green. The Bakemon was about to chomp on him when Guilmon knocked him away with his fireball, dispersing the screaming ghost into nothingness. Impmon stared into the space where the Bakemon had been, eyes like saucers.

A crackle of electricity swept through the air, calling the attention of the Tamers and their digimon to the edge of the field. The last Bakemon was glowing.

"Oh no," Jenrya moaned.

It grew in size and changed shape. When the light was gone, another digimon floated in front of them. Guilmon growled and Takato looked at his D-Arc.

"Phantomon. Virus type. Perfect level! This is bad," Takato looked ahead. The Phantomon peered at them patiently. The new digimon's confidence made them uneasy and his icy stare kept them from moving. He glanced up at Renamon, the only one who did not cower.

Phantomon turned his attention back to the rest. He reveled in their fright and let out a sharp, deep laugh. He rose his golden scythe and his onlookers rose in reaction. The reaper brought it down over the wall of the digital field, tearing it open and causing him and the mist to disappear. A chill ran up everyone's spine. The only sound was Impmon's coughing.

Of all the questions that ran through his head, the only one Jenrya was comfortable saying aloud was "Where is Ruki?"

He looked up to Renamon, but she was gone.

--

NEXT: Phantomon is on the loose but the Tamers have no idea how to find him... I don't want to give anything else away. Haha.


End file.
